After months of negotiations, the Philippines and Singapore finally signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on the Recruitment of Healthcare Workers and the MOU on Collaboration on Carbon Credits Under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, strengthening the 55-year relationship between the neighboring countries.

Marcos said this as he met Singaporean President Tharman Shanmugaratnam in Malacañan on Thursday, Aug. 15.

In his speech during their joint presser, President Marcos said Singapore continues to be an essential trade and investment partner of the Philippines, with Singapore businesses venturing into a wide sector of industries in the Philippines ranging from the hospitality industry to the renewable energy sector.

With the signing of the MOU for Collaboration on Carbon Credits Under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, Marcos hoped that both countries could incentivize both industries and individuals to actively work to reduce their carbon footprint while allowing the government to mobilize financial resources to boost fiscal space.

Meanwhile, the MOU on the Recruitment of Filipino Healthcare Workers ensures that a balance is achieved between the needs of the healthcare sector of both countries and the need for personal development and growth of healthcare workers.

"Through this MOU, we express our confidence in Singapore's legal and judicial system, which will ensure that the rights, welfare, and well-being of our kababayan OFWs will be protected as they pursue their careers in Singapore," Marcos said.

In his remarks, President Tharman said the signing of MOUs signifies Singapore's intention to be the Philippines' "long-term" partner.

"They (MOUs) are basically a testament, also, to the way Singapore looks at the Philippines. We see ourselves as a partner in the Philippines' development in all aspects— economic development, sustainability, inclusive growth— we see ourselves as a partner for the long term," he said.

"We would like to participate in the Philippines' development both through our companies investing in the Philippines, we'd like to share experience, and we also like to learn from the Philippines on how you tackle a range of complex challenges including on the environment," he added.

In addition to the MOUs signed on Thursday evening, President Marcos cited another MOU on Health Cooperation is presently being negotiated by both countries' Health Ministries so that when the contracts of the OFWs are nearing completion, they will be able to reintegrate into the Philippine economy with ease.

There will also be the planned signing of MOUs by Philippine local government units and their Singapore private sector partners, a collaboration of a Philippine national government agency and the Singaporean private sector, and a business-to-business agreement.

Strong ties

Marcos said the Philippines' bilateral relations with Singapore have come a long way and have undergone immense transformation since they were established over five decades ago.

"Our meeting today was an opportunity to reaffirm and [renew] our bonds of friendship and see how we can build upon them further," he said.

"The ties that bind us go beyond geography and are based on our strong people-to-people connection. This has given rise to the strong, multi-faceted relationship, that we enjoy today," he added.

The Singaporean leader, meanwhile, was confident that the relationship between the two Asian countries would further grow.

"I think we are making fine progress and it’s a phase of our relationship that shouldn’t be business as normal, incremental change after each meeting," President Tharman said.

"But we really want to take it on a new trajectory. Under your leadership, I’m confident we’ll be able to achieve that," he added.

West Philippine Sea issue

Aside from bilateral issues, both presidents discussed regional issues of mutual interest.

"As geographical neighbors in Southeast Asia, the South China Sea or the West Philippine Sea holds great importance to both our countries," President Marcos said.

"So, we look forward to the opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to maintain and to promote peace, security, and stability in the region as well as our strong support [to] the peaceful resolution of any such disputes," he added.

President Tharman likewise emphasized the importance of the issue in the South China Sea and reiterated Singapore's position on the matter.

"Singapore's position of course is well known we consistently upheld the rights of all states to freedom of navigation and overflight and strongly supported the peaceful resolution of disputes in accordance with international law including the 1982 UN Convention of the Law of the Sea or UNCLOS," he said.

"That's fundamental. UNCLOS has to be the legal framework within which all the activities in the oceans and seas are carried out," he added.